The Hungry Turk

Pasta Night - Again?

As I started my marathon training about five months ago I never thought that I’d get bored of having to eat pasta at least a few times a week. The prospect of getting to try out different pasta recipes was definitely exciting, especially at a time when I had just started my own food blog. Little did I know!

I did get to try many different recipes but as I was making most of them for the first time, they needed adjustment before they were blog worthy. Don’t get me wrong, they were very tasty, it’s just that they weren’t always, erm, photogenic. And the thought of cooking the same food over and over again for the sake of its photographic quality was not appealing.

And in all honesty, I did get bored of eating pasta every Friday night to load up on carbs before my Saturday morning long runs. At times, I got so uninspired and bored of it that I could no longer bother to come up with a new recipe and resorted to the Turkish national fail-safe sauce: yogurt. I know that it sounds bizarre to mix pasta and yogurt, but believe me with a little drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt, it’s enough to make any plain pasta (or as a matter of fact rice) palatable.

Having said all this, I still have two weeks of training before my marathon in San Francisco and whether I like it or not, I have to gulp down all the pasta I can. As I was pondering how to break the monotony of my Friday nights, a very unexpected source of inspiration came to my help. A good friend of mine and a fan of the now defunct Gourmet Magazine brought to my attention that the publishers (Condé Nast) were issuing a special edition of the famous foodie magazine on quick meal fixes. I bought the magazine without a second thought, and there it was, my personal light at the end of the tunnel: Rigatoni with Marinara Sauce and Ricotta!!

We all know how well tomatoes and pasta go together (especially if you add some garlic and a few basil leaves). I do sometimes find, however, that the tomato sauce can  be slightly too acidic, especially when using canned tomatoes (and I have no intentions of using fresh tomatoes in sauces past August). So adding ricotta cheese to the ensemble sounded like a great idea.

It sure was as delicious as it was simple to make. Now, I just have to keep my inspiration going for two more weeks, after which I can tell “see ya later” to pasta dishes for a little while.

And please, Condé Nast, I promise I will renew my subscription every year and, if necessary, get additional subscriptions for all my extended family. Please bring the Gourmet Magazine back!

Rigatoni with Marinara Sauce and Ricotta (from Gourmet Quick Kitchen Fall 2010 edition)

Serves 4


1 28-oz can of whole tomatoes in juice, chopped and half the juice from the can reserved
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Pinch of hot red-pepper flakes (more to the taste)
5 - 6 fresh basil leaves, torn
1 pack (1lb or 450gr) rigatoni
1 cup ricotta
Grated Pecorino Romano to taste
Olive oil
Salt according to taste

Cook the garlic and red-pepper flakes in about one table spoon of olive oil until garlic starts turning golden. Add the chopped tomatoes and reserved juice and cook until the sauce starts thickening, about 20 minutes.

In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook until it’s “al dante”. At this point stir the basil leaves into the tomato sauce and in a large bowl mix together the pasta and the sauce. Serve with ricotta cheese and grated Pecorino Romano.

Easy Does It

22.4 kilometers.

Three hours.

Have you ever wondered what 22.4km looks or feels like? Let me explain it to you…

In Montreal, 22.4km is the distance between the corner of Sherbrooke and St-Laurent - where on a Saturday night you will see girls with mind blowing short skirts and boys with outrageously pointy shoes - and Bout-de-l’Île, which is literally the eastern tip of the island of Montreal. Cool people don’t hang out there.

In Istanbul, you’ll have to drive (no fool would walk it, let alone run it), 22.4km to get from Emirgan to Rumeli Feneri.

In Brussels… well, I should really say Belgium, 22.4km is just shy of the distance between Brussels and Leuven. Two separate cities.

If you wanted to avoid paying the taxi ride between Hyde Park and Heathrow Airport in London, you would have to trot about 22.4km to catch the next flight.

I think you get the point.

For me, 22.4km is the longest distance I have ever run. Unfortunately, it will keep its privileged status only until next Saturday, when 25km will take over the gold position.

That’s what I do on Saturday mornings… I go for leisurely jogs.

Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes and Zucchini

Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook is the first cookbook I purchased when I moved to Montreal three years ago. The move was a turning point in my life as, in addition to many other things, it was also the first time I was going to live completely on my own. No family, no roommate… just me and the three square foot kitchen. So I had to take things in my own hands and cook for my own survival. This spaghetti recipe is one of my personal favourites. It’s so easy to prepare yet looks so beautiful and tastes so fresh that you can easily fool crowds about how much you laboured over it.

Serves 4

 

2 ripe medium-sized tomatoes, grated

1½ cups cherry tomatoes, cut in half

½ bunch Italian parsley, chopped

Handful of fresh basil, chopped

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Pinch of salt

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

1 pack of dried spaghetti (about 500gr/1 pound)

1 garlic clove, minced

2 medium-size zucchini, cut into ¼-inch cubes

 

Place the tomatoes, parsley, basil, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes and ground black pepper in a medium bowl and let it sit at room temperature until all the flavours mix and develop, at least 30 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your spaghetti until al dante. While the pasta is cooking, heat some olive oil on a large pan and add the minced garlic. After one minute, add the zucchini and cook for about 5 minutes, until the zucchini have sweated but still have a bite.

Drain the spaghetti and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the zucchini and the tomato mixture and toss to combine.

Easy does it!

Runner's Delight

I may be a novice runner but I learned pretty fast that I have to load myself with carbohydrates before my long runs to have enough energy. And what a better way to do it than with pasta? Apart from staying in shape, meeting new people and contributing to a great cause, this whole running experience has encouraged me to try out different pasta recipes. A win-win situation really!

This past weekend was a perfect example of my pasta binging: Pasta on Thursday, pasta on Friday, pasta on Saturday and on Sunday… half-marathon in Ottawa. All that pasta must have done its magic because I ran like the wind. Well, my own little breeze. I beat my personal record and it was all smiles for two hours and twenty minutes.

In honour of the wonder food that got me to the finish line, every weekend The Hungry Turk will feature a new pasta recipe. All comments are welcome and if you have your own favourite pasta recipe that you would like to share please let me know. I’m sure I will need fresh ideas pretty soon.

I’ll start off with this simple yet delicious recipe that my mom used to make. To be honest my memories of it were quite blurry at the start. All I could remember was the intense olive taste. So here is what I came up with. Loaded with green olives and tomatoes, this recipe is perfect for a casual summer dinner party among friends.

Enjoy!!!

 

Pasta Bake with Olives and Tomatoes

Serves 6

 

1 pack of spaghetti (500gr)

1 cup green olives, washed, pitted and sliced (I use olives that are already pitted and sliced, which makes this recipe very easy to prepare. Make sure to wash them to get rid of the extra salt.)

1 garlic clove, sliced thinly

6-7 ripe Roma tomatoes, sliced thickly

1½ cup grated cheese (e.g. mild cheddar, gruyere, aged mozzarella)

Extra-virgin olive oil

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add your pasta to cook. For this recipe you’re allowed to cook your pasta a little more than al dente. In the mean time, heat some olive oil on a medium pan and add the garlic. Cook the garlic until golden and add the olives. Stir for 4 to 5 minutes, and put aside. Once your spaghetti is cooked, drain it, transfer it back to the pot and toss is it with some more olive oil. Transfer half of the pasta to an appropriately sized baking tray. Layer half of the sliced tomatoes and top it up with all the olives. Add the remaining past. Layer the rest of the tomatoes and cover with grated cheese. Bake in an oven heated at 400°F (200°C) for about 20 minutes, until the top is golden.

I can’t wait until next weekend!!

Go Team!

Until recently, I was not a runner. I did not enjoy it. The few times I went out for a run I came back with the frustration caused by pain and boredom rather than the satisfaction induced by physical exercise.

Then one day everything changed. About this time last year, I received a Team in Training flier in the mail. They were offering to fully train me, the helpless runner, to become a marathoner. In return I was to fundraise for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. This came at a time when I was looking for a personal project and a way to give back to the community. So I decided to give it a chance. I went to an information session, and since then I have been hooked.

I started off slowly. Last September I ran the half marathon in Montreal and fundraised for the Society. Then I continued my involvement with Team in Training as a fundraising mentor for the spring 2010 season, where participants were training for the BMO Vancouver Marathon and the Paris Marathon. In two weeks time I will start my training for the Nike Women’s Marathon which will take place in October in San Francisco.

Yep, the whole thing.

42.2 km.

26.2 miles.

A few hills.

In order to supply my body with the necessary nutrients during the training period I will have to tweak my diet a little. Carbohydrates (a.k.a. pasta), for instance, will be an important component of it. I will make sure to keep you updated on my dietary adventures and supply you with different runner friendly recipes.

In the meantime, here is a Team in Training related savory muffin recipe. Last weekend was the final group training session for those going to Vancouver and a potluck was organised after the long run. I brought these muffins. The corn flour, feta cheese, dill and parsley bring in a nice little Mediterranean twist to the everyday breakfast muffin.

Savory Muffins with Feta Cheese, Parsley and Dill

Makes 12

1 cup plain white flour

2 cups corn flour

1 heaped teaspoon baking powder

4 eggs

½ cup vegetable oil (this time I used grape seed oil but other vegetable oils will be fine too. If you want a more accentuated taste substitute ¼ cup vegetable oil with olive oil)

2 cups yogurt (could be low fat)

200 gr. feta cheese, crumbled (get the hard type)

½ a bunch parsley, picked and finely chopped

½ a bunch dill, picked and finely chopped

1 tablespoon sweet paprika (more according to taste)

2 tablespoons ground dried tomatoes (more according to taste - see note at the end)

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon baking soda

 

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Unless you are using paper cases, grease your muffin tins very lightly with vegetable oil.

Whisk the white flour, corn flour, baking powder, paprika and ground dried tomatoes in a medium size bowl. In a large bowl, beat the eggs by hand, and blend in the oil and yogurt. Mix until well combined.

Slowly add the flour mixture into the eggs. It’s pretty easy to this by hand. The batter is supposed to be slightly less liquid than a normal muffin batter. If you think your batter is too dry, add in more yogurt. Add in the feta, dill and parsley. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar and baking soda. Wait until it fizzes out and add it to the batter. Mix until everything is well combined, but try not to overmix the batter, otherwise your muffins will come out too hard.

Spoon out the batter in the muffin tins, filling them almost to the rim. Bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes. They are ready when a wooden tooth pick inserted into a muffin comes out clean.

Voila!!!

Note: I am not a big fan of dried tomatoes, especially the kind sold in oil. I find that they have too strong of a taste that overwhelms everything else in a dish. But last year my aunt gave me a bag of dried ground tomatoes that she had purchased from a farmers market in Anamur on the Mediterranean coast of Turkey, where my maternal grandmother is from. They are a nice addition to any Mediterranean inspired dish. You can recreate them at home simply by grounding roughly dried tomatoes (not the ones sold in oil) in your food processor.